Questions are being asked on a daily basis why Minister of State Heineken Lokpobiri is hell bent in Creating crisis in NCDMB
These are some of the findings on the divide and rule tactics of the Minister
1. The Union and some Management staff have been fingered as the tools being used by the current Minister to disrupt the activities of the Board, to push their personal agenda and political ambition.
2. These same set of people having similar interest with the Minister and driven by personal interest and vendetta, lack of understanding of the activities of the Board, greed and quest for power have sold their consciences to make sure their plans succeed irrespective of the colossal damage their actions are causing the Board and the country at large.
3. Some decisions carried out by these set of people include the following.
a. Removal of the most experienced HR Management staff from the helm of affair and replacing her with his choice.
b. Redeployment of experienced directors and management staff and replacing them with their cohorts, cronies and as gratifications for their continued loyalty.
c. Witch hunting of some staff purportedly or suspected to be linked to the former Minister for State for Petroleum Resources due to their political differences and the erstwhile ES that was removed from office last year.
d. Sponsorship of false allegations and campaign of calumny against key staff who have been classified as non-loyalist to the Minister and identified as persons holding positions which are of interest to the Minister .
e. Sponsorship of the removal of the previous Executive Secretary - Engr Simbi Wabote through false allegations of
f. Threatening of staff .
g. Sponsorship of unrest to enable them recruit the Minister’s persons and loyalists into the Board.
4. It is worthy to note that the Minister as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Board is not synonymous as the Council itself which is made up or professionals from different endeavours nor equate his role and responsibility to that of the Executive Secretary of the Board to the extent of overseeing the today-today activities or affairs of the Board, except he will be doing same for the other agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources such as the PTDF, NUPRC, NMDPRA, PTI, NNPC etc.
5. The National President PENGASSAN who doubles as the President of the Trade Union Congress should look into the activities of the Union NCDMB Branch headed by the current Chairman who is hobnobbing with the Minister. The purpose of the labour Union is to negotiate for the welfare of staff including better pay, safer working conditions, better benefits and not to be used as a tool for rascality, witch-hunting or power play.
Therefore, interfering into issues between the Minister and Executive Secretary is something that the President of the great Union has to call the NCDMB Branch Chairman to order. Other reports gathered against the NCDMB Branch Union include the following –
A. He is known to have consistently threatened the Management of the Board
B. Is currently threatening to shut down the Board in favour of the Minister – In fact was bragging about a meeting he held with the Minister at the recent reception held in Ekeremor.
C. Has a penchant to turn this to an ethnic matter capable of derailing the Board.
D. It is also important to note that the Federal Government frowns at unauthorised circulation or posting of official documents on social media or any other channel and advice that any culprit found should be sanctioned
The Union Chairman has been identified as a key culprit responsible for circulating confidential/classified information of the Board to external persons even staff staff personal information as the Board has a Confidentiality Agreement with each employee.
6. People’s/Organisational reputation when maligned especially on false ground can never be easily regained and could be traumatic and costly to all in the long run.
It is very important that the President wade into this matter and put a more experienced person to steer this all-important Ministry which has been the main stay of the economy before it worsens and affects and adds to the many problems the country is experiencing
Kunle Adeosun is a social and public Affairs Commentator